Produced, written and directed by the The Wachowskis, Jupiter Ascending is the story of Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis), an unlucky Russian immigrant whose career is cleaning toilets in a future world where gods rule over humanity. Things get interesting when she meets Caine (Channing Tatum), a genetically engineered ex-military hunter sent to track her down, and she learns her DNA marks her has next in line for an unimaginable inheritance that could affect the harmony of the universe.
The Wachowskis have a proven track record with science fiction, having made The Matrix trilogy, as well as Speed Racer and Cloud Atlas and writing the screenplay for V for Vendetta. They love to tell multipart stories and expect nothing less here, as well as recurring themes of interconnectivity, truth beneath the surface and the paradox of choice and choicelessness that has become part of their oeuvre. Natalie Portman was originally cast as Jupiter, but dropped out. Rooney Mara was considered to replace her, before Mila Kunis was finally cast. Does that spell trouble? Not necessarily, actors often drop out due to schedule conflicts. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was considered for a role as well. The real focus will be on audience reaction; Cloud Atlas had polarized reactions from critics and made only slightly more than its budget. Jupiter Ascending has a budget of $150 million, and eyes will be on both ticket sales and reviews.
Jupiter Ascending was originally scheduled to open in theatres on July 18, but its release date has been pushed back to February 2015.
